Birthday Princess

It is hard to believe that our little caroline turned one!!

on june 18th, 2009 at 1:20pm ben turned to me and said six words i will never forget..."honey, you got your little girl!!" and so i did...

what a sweetheart our caroline ann is...she is full of personality, engaging, and just so much fun!! she can hold her own quite well with her two older brothers, and is very spunky!!

she took her first steps at the beach about a month ago...and since, has gradually worked her way up to about 7 or 8 on her own. she says "da-de" for ben, "dau" for dog, and FINALLY said "mama" though i'm still not sure is was directed at me. still, i'll take it!:) she has a great shrieking noise that she enjoys making which we all lovingly refer to as her "baby dinosaur" sound.

all in all..she is just a joy and delight to be around and we thank the lord for her everyday.

we had a great birthday celebration with our family...caroline got her first baby dolls, a personalized suitcase (we missed you marmie and poppy!!), and some sweet crib toys.

we had flower cupcakes...and lots of pink in honor of the birthday girl!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET CAROLINE!!!

Birthday Girl!!

my attempt at flower cupcakes

two peas in a pod...caroline and cousin addie...only 10 weeks apart and BFF's already!:)

present time!! lots of helpers...

first cupcake...

hmmm...pretty good...wrapper and all.

i think we're done here...

big brother ben david...modeling party hats he INSISTED we purchase!!! to his credit..he (and good sport drew) wore these the ENTIRE time!

cousin kai...eagerly awaiting the cupcakes:)

everybody say...PIZZA!!!!

me and my girl!

Beach Days

Last week, our family enjoyed a wonderful vacation!! it all started on wednesday, when our very sweet and very brave marmie and poppy offered to take the boys down to holden beach a few days early. it took me about .05 seconds to agree to that plan!!:)

ben, caroline and i subsequently enjoyed 2 very quiet, very relaxing days here in charlotte as a prelude to our memorial day beach weekend. i am pretty sure we were not missed at all. james and ben david had a blast hanging out with marmie and poppy!! they rode the boat, played in the tide pools and sand, rode the scooter/wagon to the beach each day, flew kites...the fun went on and on!!

we were excited to be reunited with them on friday and they were eager to show us "their beachouse", beds, new hats and the beach!! ben and i continued to be spoiled on our trip with amazing meals, continuous babysitting and lots of naps!! we had a wonderful, restful vacation...a word you don't hear often from parents traveling with 3 kids 4 and under.

snack break at the waterslide

ice cream and miniature golf night

The next set of pictures are very special to me. caroline's great-grandmother, nana, gave her this sweet dress when she was born. nana has great taste and i just could not wait to put this cute, pink, smocked dress on caroline. it finally fits, and i think the beach provided the perfect backdrop!:)

nana...these are for you!!! we love you!!

our captains

reenactment of our engagement shot...almost 6 years later!:)

mommy and me

my guess is next year our little lady might be the one pulling james along

our family

THANK YOU MARMIE AND POPPY FOR A GREAT TRIP!!! WE LOVE YOU!!

Oh Say Can you See....Poppie turned 70!!!

A few weekends ago we gathered the crew at my sister and brother-in-law's to celebrate my dad turning 70!! what a special occasion it was. lots of food, cupcakes made by adah...even a piano duet by britt and adah...a very jazzy version of "happy birthday to you!!"

james and ben david purchased their own gifts for poppie from the dollar store. ben david chose a very high quality watch, and james...well you'll have to see the final pic for his choice.

my dad is an amazing man...here are just a few words to describe him:

kind

patient

wise

brilliant

loving

loyal

dependable

honest

hardworking

loves his family

loves the Lord

the list goes on and on...but you get the point.

my dad/our poppie is one of a kind and we sure love him!!!

here are a few pics...ALL courtesy of my sister (most i stole from her blog)as i sadly never got to my camera that night.

poppie with the "grand-girls":)

and yes...we are pretty excited to finally have a few strands of hair for a bow!!

the grand-boys:)

james brandishing a water shooter toy at the camera

james selected a sombrero from the dollar store and would not be swayed. it was either that, or a pair of diabetic socks he picked out first. we agreed to the sombrero.

Blessed

as always, mother's day was full of unexpected surprises and treats! the fun began saturday with a mani/pedi trip with my sis and sis in law, annaliese and amy. this was followed by a mandatory trip to the mall!!:) all was planned by our sweet husbands.

sunday i came down to these beautiful flowers and sweet footprints. breakfast was complete with homeade chocolate chip muffins and fresh coffee.

the weekend included my sleeping in both days..a nice treat, but one (i must confess) occurs every weekend. it also consisted of MUCH free time for me, with ben taking care of all three.

that too, however, is more the norm than the exception.

all in all...i am blessed.

blessed to have a wonderful husband who truly makes every day mother's day for me.

blessed to have 3 precious children who light up my life.

blessed to have a wonderful mother of my own who sets such an amazing example!!

i am so grateful to the lord for these many blessings and a day on which to pause and reflect on all he has so graciously given to me.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

for His lovingkindness is everlasting!"

Psalm 118: 29

Later Gator

so...ben's latest trash find was this john deere "gator." after some minor electrical re-wiring and some drilling (to creat more space for the battery), we had ourselves a fun new toy!! my husband is truly amazing. his ability to "revive" discarded items is beyond belief. so here they are...driving around like pros. i must confess...it is a bit strange seeing your 4yo cruise around like this. and he does a fine job at that! james isn't bad himself, unless he gets fixated on the scenery. in that case, you better watch out..no mailbox, car or person is safe.

Backyard Fun

so...with the warmer weather this weekend, we decided it was high time to break out the slip n slide!! fun was had by all, including the adults (as you can see above).

ben david got the hang of it, however james settled for a smoothie on the swing after enduring multiple, consecutive wipe outs.

here is ben david taking a go at it...

even caroline made her swimsuit debut!

Pretty in Pink